Developers propose Southworks gateway with 100 city affordable units; board asks for master plan details

Developers leading the Southworks redevelopment told the Ithaca City Planning and Development Board on May 26 that the project’s gateway phase would include 100 affordable apartments in the city portion and 130 units in the town portion as part of a 230-unit affordable-housing package across the site.

Rob Lewis of Shift Capital and Beacon Communities’ Dan Belgraph and Jen Steinberg described a mixed-income plan of one-, two- and larger units and said they are pursuing tax-credit financing and state infrastructure support. "We landed with 130 apartment community in the town of Ithaca and 100 units in the gateway in the city of Ithaca," Dan said, and the team noted recent infrastructure grants to Tompkins County and the town to support buildout.

Why it matters: Southworks is a long-planned, large-area redevelopment anchored by a 2019 Generic Environmental Impact Statement (GEIS). How the gateway is designed and phased will shape neighborhood circulation, public spaces and where infrastructure occurs across the city–town boundary.

Developers outlined schedule and scale and emphasized tight financing and state timelines. The team said HCR asked them to pursue a larger 4% tax-credit path after initial plans, and they are working to close in the October state bond round; the presenters estimated notice to proceed in early November 2026 and a roughly two-year construction period with first move-ins expected in early 2028. "We were asked to close in October," a presenter said; "we are kind of moving full speed ahead."

Design details presented include two gateway buildings (called G1 and G2) totaling about 100 city units, tuck-under and surface parking, a pocket park, a small playground and street cross-sections that include bike lanes and on-street parking. The team emphasized that site levels, hill conditions and fire-truck aerial apparatus needs required modestly wider street cross-sections than the GEIS guidelines allowed.

Board response and follow-up: Board members welcomed the affordable-housing volume but repeatedly asked for a clearer master plan and phasing context that shows how the gateway parcel will read as the primary entrance over time. "It doesn't feel exactly like a gateway to me when you call this the gateway," one board member said, asking how the shown parcel fits into the larger gateway concept. Members asked the developers to return with an overarching landscape and place plan, pedestrian and bicycle connections to South Aurora, and more clarity on how Building 24 (an adjacent existing structure) will be used during phasing.

Board members also sought operational details: on-site management, community supports and whether on-site staffing or live-in maintenance would be provided. Beacon said its affiliated management group typically provides on-site staff and community services and that management considerations are included in early design decisions.

Sustainability and infrastructure: The board urged stronger information on sustainability, stormwater and renewable-energy commitments across the Southworks area. Developers said Beacon has a recent carbon-neutral new-construction commitment for its developments and that those sustainability goals will be part of future submissions.

Next steps: Staff and the development team agreed to return to the Planning Board with more materials: a master/landscape plan, clearer phasing diagrams, sidewalk and bike-route cross-sections, screening and edge treatments toward neighboring residences, and specifics about which roads and streetscapes are included in the developer’s scope versus future offsite public infrastructure. The board requested those details in advance of the project's next appearance.

The Planning Board did not take a final land-use vote on the Southworks gateway at the May 26 meeting; the session closed with agreement to continue review next month.